The Dark Side of Love
by Gracie Facie
Summary: When Mustang's niece, Rei, comes into Mustang's possesion, Ed seems to find himself loving someone he hardly knows! Love, Hatred, Evil Penguins! Ch.16 True confessions....and surprises!
1. Chapter 1: The meeting

Me: Hello there loyal fans! Welcome to my first Fullmetal Alchemist Fanfiction. The Only Character I own is Rei. Please don't Flame.

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"Oh, no sir. I understand completely. Yes sir. Your Welcome. Good-bye." Mustang hung up the phone with a sigh.

"What's the matter?" Hawkeye asked him.

"Oh, nothing. It seems my dear brother has passed away, leaving his 16-year-old daughter to his only brother-me." He sighed again. "And the sad thing is...She hates me, and I've only met her twice. I haven't seen her in three years."

"It'd be nice to have another girl around here. Is she an alchemist?"

"Yeah. A state alchemist. She was so bent on being the youngest state alchemist, but Fullmetal beat her to it a year before."

"She wanted to be the youngest?" Hawkeye looked at him with interest.

"Yes. But a year after Ed made the cut, When she was thirteen, she made the cut herself. I think she hates him. But I'm not sure. She was always a little sadistic. She hates a lot of things. The only thing she loved was her father. But now that he's gone, She might have retreated into complete self-isolation." Mustang stood up. "Ah, well, makes my job easier."

"Mustang!" Hawkeye hit him in the back of the head.

"Ow! what was that for?"

Rei stepped off the train and onto the platform, glaring at the bright sunlight. She looked around for Mustang, but saw no one but a blonde boy talking to a suit of armor.

"That's just like my airhead uncle. He must've forgotten again. What an idiot!" She cursed loudly, and the blonde boy looked up. he got up and ran over to her.

"Excuse me, miss, but are you Mustang's niece, Rei?" He asked her. Rei turned and gave him a blank stare that said 'Get the hell away from me before I kick your ass'. When that didn't work, she just answered him.

"What's it to you, Blondie?" She snapped.

"You're mustang's niece all right. I'm Edward Elric, and Mustang sent me here to-" She grabbed the front of his shirt.

"So you're the Fullmetal Alchemist? You're the little punk who stole my title? I'd waited and trained my entire life to take the title of youngest state alchemist, and you just waltzed in there and stole it from me!"

"Little? Little! WHO ARE YOU CALLIN AN ANT SO SMALL HE COULD ONLY BE SEEN WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS!" Rei dropped him in astonishment.

"Hey, calm down, you punk, I never said that!" She yelled. "And even if I did I think some prodigy like yourself would be a sport and take it like a man!"

"Listen, lady, I'm only here because Mustang sent me here to pick you up. Oh, yeah, that reminds me; he said you were a state alchemist. So what's your alchemist name?"

"...It's The Spark Alchemist." She said quietly, looking unfocused into the distance.

"The...Spark...Alchemist? But why?" She turned her unfocused gaze towards him.

"I'm Mustang's fricken' niece! They all decided that since my uncle was the Flame Alchemist, I should be a spark or something dumb like that!"

"Okay! Okay, I get it already. Let's get going before Mustang gets agitated."

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	2. Chapter 2: Calm before a storm

Hey loyal fans and welcome to the second chapter of The Dark Side of Love!

Recap: They were just about to leave the train station.

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Ed walked back to the suit of armor, spoke to it, and then, to Ryuu's surprise, the armor got up and walked towards her! He stopped in front of her.

"Hi! I'm Alphonse Elric. I'm Ed's brother." Ryuu smiled.

"Pleased to meet you. You are much more attractive than your brother."

"WHAT WAS THAT!" Ed yelled at her.

"That was: PLEASED TO MEET YOU. As in, Helloooo."

"NO! The other part!"

"You mean I like your armor?"

"I give up!" Ed turned away, arms crossed and fuming. Ryuu smiled triumphantly and put her arm around his shoulders.

"Listen here, Fullmetal." She began,crossing one foot over the other and looking at her nails. "You may have beaten me to the quick in getting to be the youngest to become State Alchemist, but I have something you don't have."

"An overdose of crazy pills?" He asked. Ryuu glared.

"No!" She whipped into full standing position and poked him in the chest. "DIGNITY!"

"What!"

"Yeah, dignity. And a clean record. I've never tried to bring someone back from the dead.That's right, Uncle Mustang told me all about it. Not just any suit of armor, are you, Al?" Ryuu sighed, then shot a look in Ed's direction. "AND LISTEN CLOSELY FULLMETAL. You and I? Rivals until further notice. Um...so...Anyone willing to get me to my uncle's place?"

"No. Ow! I mean, uh, yeah, this way..." Ed glared at Al and turned around. _Too bad he's Edward Elric_, Ryuu thought. _He'd be so cute otherwise._

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_"Ah, _I see you have returned my niece to me safely, eh, Fullmetal? What do you think of her?"

"She's a self-absorbed, careless, obnoxious girl who can't take a joke."

"And _you're _a squirt with an attitude problem who stole my title!"

"Squirt? _Squirt? _You ain't to tall yourself, Miss 'I'm too good to care about anything around me'!"

Roy sighed. He had known this would happen, but not that quickly. They had probably been bickering since they introduced themselves.

"Well at least I didn't put my brother's soul in a-"

"That's ENOUGH!" Roy said quickly. There were still people in the room (or down the hall, where the squabble could be heard clearly)who didn't know about Ed's attempts at human transmutation. "Ryuu, I realize you are angry because Fullmetal took your title, But please do NOT fly off the handle so easily. And Fullmetal, I would appreciate it if you would at least _try_ to be nice to my niece." Ryuu stuck her toungue out at Ed. "Ryuu, likewise to you."

"But...Uncle Roooooooy." Ryuu gave him an innocent look. "Edward started it!"

"I don't care who started it, I want you two to end it! Now, there's a dance tonight in honor of your arrival, and I want _Edward_ to escort you." Ed opened his mouth to protest, but thought it best not to since Mustang had used his name instead of his alchemist name. Ryuu just crossed her arms and pouted, knowing that her uncle was serious and also knowing that any protests would lead to a charred coat.

"I don't have anything to wear." She reasoned.

"I had Hawkeye pick out several dresses for you. They are on your bed. Choose your favorite. And Fullmetal, you are to wear a military uniform. NO BUTS. I know I said you'd never have to wear one but by now you should know that adults lie. Fullmetal, please escort my niece to her room. Now MARCH!"

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Me: Hi guys, end of chapter two, hope you liked my little plot twist. Here's an explanation on what Ryuu looks like:

Ed's height, long black hair with one red streak in it, coal black eyes, black midriff and a jacket like Ed's but the colors are reversed (black with red trim). She also wears black jeans and combat boots.


	3. Chapter 3: Dance Dance

Hey people, sorry this took so long ENJOY!

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Rei followed Ed to a large room with a queen-sized bed, a large dresser, and a walk-in closet. Rei's jaw dropped and she dropped her bag. She ran over and jumped onto the bed. 

"Wheeeeeeee!" She squealed with a giggle. "Oh, this is so great! It almost makes one forget she has to go to the ball with her rival."

"Shut up. I didn't want this." He hissed at her.

"Oh, you know I'm the hottest girl you've ever danced with." She smarted. Silence. She looked at Ed, who was looking away. "Don't tell me..."

Ed mumbled something unintelligible.

Rei grinned. "You can't dance, can you?" Ed started to walk away...one step...two steps...aaaaaaand...Rei grabbed him and pulled him back. "You can't! You can't dance!"

"Well, excuse me for thinking that a bunch of foot movements were a waste of time and energy!" He shouted. Rei got a serious look and grabbed him by the shirt.

"I will not be seen at the ball with a person who can't dance." She said on a deadly calm note.

"Who says we'll even have to dance? I'm just your escort, remember?" He loosed himself from her grip and stood in front of her, wiping himself off.

"He said the ball is being held in _my honor_ which means me and my..." She looked at him and shuddered. "_DATE_ have to break the ice with the opening dance, usually a waltz or a slow dance."

"You're kidding." Ed searched her face hard for any trace of lies. Finding none, he let out a long sigh. "Mustang will kill me if this ball doesn't go well. You'll have to..._teach_ me how to dance."

"Ew, you mean touch you before it's nessecary?" She recoiled at the thought.

"If you don't want to look like an idiot, then yes." He looked at her. "I don't know why you hate me-actually, I do. You made it rather clear. But I don't see why you can't just get over it! So I took the title--big deal! There's plenty of other accomplishments out there. I mean, you could be known as the girl who taught me to dance. Who knows, it might be hard."

Rei sighed and opened her bag. She rummaged through it a bit and pulled out a CD case. She looked through it, selected a CD, and crossed the room to the CD player. As the song _Strawberry Wine_ began to play, she took Ed's hands and placed them in the correct spots.

"Follow my lead."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ed pulled at his tie nervously. He was standing at the entrance, watching people filing into the ballroom. He knew Rei was supposed to come an hour after the party had officially started, and as the number of people filing through dwindled, he became more and more anxious.

"Where is she?" He looked at his watch.

"She'll be here, brother. I'm sure of it." Al reassured him. He was posing as a suit of armor that decorated the enrtyway until Rei arrived. The room fell in silence as Roy called the party to attention.

"I have gathered my friends and military accomplices here to introduce my niece, Reiven." Ed scrambled out the door and met Rei in the hall. He could hardly believe his eyes!

Rei was dressed in a long midnight red gown with a matching skull clip and clutch. Her hair was in a feathered style that flattered the gothic medieval look of the gown. She glared at him.

"It's rude to stare," She hissed, hooking her arm through his. "don't embarass me!"

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Hey thanks for reading please comment! I'm soooooo sorry this took so long! I've been really busy.

Comment!


	4. Chapter 4: Having a Ball

Heya folks, here's the next FMA.

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Ed's feet were cemented to the ground. He was too nervous to move. 

"ED!" Rei hissed, and with a tug she pulled him into motion. As they entered the ball room, Al closed the door and stood inside, next to the entrance. Ed almost barfed when he saw how many people were there. Around two hundred men and women had come to the ball, plus a hundred or so military personell.

"Rei, I--I don't think I can do this." Ed whispered.

"Just smile and nod." She whispered back. He did so, but it didn't make him any less nervous.they stopped in the middle of the empty dance floor. "Now just pretend it's only us, in my room during your lessons. Nobody is watching us."

"Okay." Ed put his right hand on her waist, and his left hand held her right one. The music started, and the dance began. Ed counted out each step and each movement, determined to make it perfect. Rei moved--no, glided--with grace, poise, and memorization of every single twitch. Halfway through the song, Ed was a lot more relaxed, and his movements became more fluid than robotic.

The song ended, the spotlight on them, as he tipped her back. The applause was deafening, and as he righted her, Mustang cut through the crowd onto the dance floor.

"Wow, Ed, great job!" Rei whispered as Mustang approached them. Rei curtsied, Ed bowed.

"Wasn't that just wonderful?" Mustang spoke as the applause died down. "I would like to thank Edward Elric, The Fullmetal Alchemist, for escorting my neice here. He gets a few points for the dance, too." There was a small ripple of chuckles in the crowd. "And now, I would like to introduce to you my niece, Reiven." She curtsied again, then, after a few more minutes of her uncle talking, a song came on and the dance floor was alive with people. Rei, Ed, and Mustang were then by the refreshments.

"And you were worried." Ed said to Al. "I did fine!"

"Ah, Fullmetal, good job on that dance, I was kind of expecting you to fall flat on your face." Mustang said, shaking his hand.

"See, it wasn't THAT bad" Rei said. "Oh, and Ed?"

"Yeah?" He turned to look at her.

"Tonight may be a truce, but tommorrow, we're rivals again. Got it?" Ed smirked at her.

"Got it."

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The next morning 

"Ed...Ed, wake up!" Ed mumbled something about five more minutes, so Al simply pushed him out of the bed.

_Bang._ Ed hit the floor.

"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Ed popped up, the knife on his metal arm brought out. "What is it, I fire? An Earthquake? Mustang?"

"No, no, and yes." Rei said from the doorway. "Except it's Rei Mustang, not Roy Mustang."

"Eep..!" Ed pulled the sheet off the bed to cover the fact that he was in his underwear. "How'd you get into my room?"

"Al let me in." Rei said. "Plus I have a spare key."

"A spare key?! Where'd you get that?!"

"Uncle Roy gave it to me. He says it's my right, considering we are now partners."

"Damnit, Must--partners? Whaddya mean partners?"

"He said that since we did so well last night, we should be partners." Rei slumped into the nearest chair. "First the dance, now this. Gimme a break!"

Ed went into his closet and pulled on a pair of pants and a tank top. "So, is that the abbreviated version?" He went to his dresser and started to brush his hair.

"Yes. The terms of this partnership include that I am to go wherever you go and vice versa. All assignments given to us will be harder than individual assignments. And..." She trailed off. "We have an assignment already."

Ed had just finished his braid. "What? An assignment? What is it?"

Rei held upthe folder, and Ed took it. "We have to go and figure out why a bunch of kids are dissapearing in this town."

"Hey, Al, this is the town where Russell and Fletcher are!" Ed exclaimed.

"Really?! Oh, wow! We get to see them again!"

"Well, we did promise we'd come back and visit them."

"Who are they?" Rei asked, standing up and stretching.

"They're these kids who 'borrowed' our names for a little while to research the philosopher's stone, and to make a Red stone."

"Oooh. Well, Uncle Roy says we gotta go right away.I got us tickets for a train that leaves in an hour and a half." Rei held up the tickets.

"Alrighty then, I'll just finish getting dressed, grab my suitcase, and we'll be on our way."

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Hey, that's the end of this chapter. I'm starting on th next one immediately. 


	5. Chapter 5: The Tringhams Return

The next chapter! YESH!

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Rei stepped off the train with Ed and Al, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Fletcher!" Al called. A small blonde boy with a green hat looked up from the merchant he was buying from. Fletcher was confused at first, but when he noticed Al (which didn't take long) He immediately lit up, smiling a huge smile and waving. He ran over to them.

"Ed! Al! You guys really came back! Guess I won that bet. Hold on, let me get Russell." He ran off again, around the corner. He hadn't been gone for more than three seconds when he reappeared again, pulling on the arm of a much taller blonde boy.

"What, what do you--" The Blonde boy stopped mid-sentance when he noticed the Elrics (again, not hard to do). "Ed, Al! You really came back!" He stopped in front of them. "Fletcher, I owe you ten dollars."

"Yeah, you do." Fletcher said cheerfully. Then Russell noticed Rei, who had lost interest a while ago and was looking at her nails.

"Hello, who is this?" He asked taking her hand, bringing her back to the moment with shock. She yelped in surprise and hit Russell defensively in the side of the head. Russell was crouched down, holding his head when she realized what was going on.

"Aaah! I'm so sorry! You startled me!" She bent down and tried to help. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, It'll take a lot more than that to keep Russell Tringham down." He said with a smirk, and stood up.

"Oh, right." Ed gestured to Rei. "Russell, Fletcher, this is Rei. She's my partner."

"You got a girlfriend?" Russell asked.

"NO! Partner in work! WORK! She's a state alchemist too!" Ed steamed.

"Ooooohhhhh okay then." Russell said "Oh, how rude of us. Please, come with us to our house." Russell smiled ( --turning on the charm now that he knows she's not taken).

"It's a little messy. We're not used to having guests." Russell said, taking Rei's coat for her and hanging it up.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not that bad." Ed said, tossing his jacket to Russell, who sighed and hung it up.

"Trust me, it is." Fletcher said, rushing past them to tidy up quickly. Ed stopped in the doorway, trying not to laugh. Clothes, dishes, blankets, and other miscellaneous items were strewn across the room, and fletcher and Russell were pushing it all into corners and closets to give them room to walk.

"The kitchen's a lot better, trust me." Russell said, leading them all in there. And it was. Everything was tidy and put away and washed and dried. Russell quickly took down the clothing line that hung over the sink, because of the underwear on it. He threw it into the bedroom and came back in time to hold Rei's seat for her.

"You're such a gentleman." She said. "Unlike someone here." She looked at Ed in exasperation. His boots were on the table and he was chewing on a toothpick like some farmer. Rei rolled her eyes and pushed his feet off the table.

"What?" He asked. She didn't answer, just punched his left arm. "Ow, what was that for?"

"So!" Russell sat in the chair by Rei's. "What brings you back here besides us?"

"We're on an assignment." Ed began. "We're here to get to the bottom of the missing children incidents."

"That's dangerous stuff right there, Ed." Russell said, totally serious. "We tried ourselves, but Fletcher almost died, so we stopped."

"He almost _died_?" Al said in alarm.

"Someone out there didn't want us to know about what they were doing." Fletcher said uneasily. "They tried to kill me in my sleep to stop us."

"I understand that it's an assignment, and you have to try and figure it out." Russell said. "And we will tell you everything we know. But you didn't hear it from us. But before we do all that serious stuff, let's have lunch, hang out, take the day off."

"I dunno, we really have to work..." Ed said.

"Of course we can. Ed, we're allowed to take a day or two off. Besides, I know how to handle my uncle. He'll be fine with it." Rei smiled at Russell. "So what's for lunch?"

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wow i wrote two chapters in one day. We are the bored... 


	6. Chapter 6: He started it!

Next chapter! whoooot! I love you, all of you loyal fans. Alot of people have faved this story. who's next?

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"Wow! This is amazing, Russell! You can see the whole town from up here!" Rei exclaimed out of pure excitement. Russell chuckled.

"It's just the roof." He said.

"Yeah," Ed injected. "Of Mugiar's research building! This place is way high up, if someone slipped, there could be a real probl--"

"Ed! I can fly!" Ed cut off mid-sentanceand looked over to where Rei was...Jumping off the roof!

"Ack!" Ed and Russell were there lickity-split, and looked down to see...Rei comfortably resting on a protruding ledge she had created with alchemy.

"Don't SCARE me like that!" Ed shrieked at her. "If you die, I'm gonna get an earful and grave duty from your uncle!"

"Rei, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Russell said, jumping down to the ledge beside her. "Jumping off the roof isn't exactly a very good joke. Death isn't funny."

Rei stopped smiling and created some steps on the side of the building. She turned away silently and walked down them. Ed and Russell looked at each other questioningly, then followed, Fletcher and Al close behind.

"You okay, Rei?" Ed asked when they reached the bottom.

"Me? I'm fine, really! I just had a serious moment there. I'm good now, though." She laughed the kind of laugh that made the boys uneasy. The kind where you know she wasn't fine. "Actually, I'm hungry. Let's have dinner!"

Russell gained back his composure. "Yes, I know a great restaraunt just a mile up the road from our house."

"You mean Jillian's?" Fletcher asked. "I love that place!"

"Happy Birthday to me...Happy Birthday to me...Happy Birthday dear Rei...Happy birthday to--What?" All the boys were staring at her. "What? Something on my face?"

"It's your birthday?" Ed asked.

"She's your partner and you don't know when her birthday is?" Russell asked. "Tsk tsk tsk."

"Hey, I only learned she was my partner this morning, and I only met her yesterday. Plus she totally hates me. It's not like I'm supposed to know these things!" Ed snapped.

"Happy Birthday!"

"Yeah, how exciting!" Al and Fletcher had moved away from the squabbling older brothers and beat them to the 'Happy Birthday'.

"Thanks, guys. It feels good to be sixteen." Rei said with a smile.

"Your sixteen?" Russell asked.

"Um...yeah, why?" (little anime in-the-corner-sulking-with-the-dark-gloomy-thing-over-his-head)

"Cuz he's only fifteen." Ed pointed out.

"Woah, really? You're so much taller than Ed, I could've sworn you were seventeen!"

"Really? You thought I was seventeen? This could work after all." Russell smiled.

"What could work after--"

"I AM NOT SHORT GODDAMNIT!!!! I'M JUST NOT, OKAY?!?!?!" Ed cut her off. "You can't call me short, or pipsqueak, or ant!"

"I didn't SAY any of that!" Rei yelled at him. "You gotta calm down, freakazoid! you freak out and buildings fall on your tiny head!"

"I'm not tiny!" Ed tackled her down and they fought up a large dust storm. Curse words and many different words for 'small' filled the air for about ten minutes, when they were both too tired to fight any more. Ed was bleeding from the mouth, with a few scrapes, plus his red coat was lying on the ground and his black one was a bit ripped. Rei was just a bit mussed up, with a small scrape on her side.

"Wow. That was some fight." Russell commented. "Ed got beat up by a girl."

"Sh...shut up...she's way stronger than she looks." Ed huffed, wiping the blood off his mouth. "And she fights dirty."

"I fight to win, you knucklehead. Now, dinner?" Rei said, straightening up and patting the dust off of herself. She reached down and pulled Ed up roughly by the elbow. "Oh, look at that. He did get beat up by a girl. Happy birthday to meeeeeeee..."

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yaaaaay another chapter down! 


	7. Chapter 7: Murder and Gnomes

Yay another chapter! thanks to all my loyal fans, especially EdwardElricsFan4evur who takes the liberty of continously reviewing so i know what to do! the dream is from manga chap.6 in book two.

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_"Mom! Mom! Look what I made!" A young Edward proudly displays his transmuted doggy sculpture._

_"Wow!Thank you Edward, you really are special." His mom said cheerfully. "Being able to create something so wonderful. but it's too bad you couldn't put me back together, too."_

_The bloody person in front of him was not his mother._

Ed woke in a cold sweat from the dream, no, the nightmare, he was continuosly having. His breath came fast and hard,and his eyes were wide open. Once he had recovered enough, he saw Al by the bed.

"What is that nightmare again?" Al whispered. "The one about mom?"

"Yeah..."Ed whispered back. He looked over to where Rei was sleeping. or where she was SUPPOSED to be sleeping. The bed was empty. "Where's Rei?"

"She must've slipped out when I wasn't paying attention. Maybe through that open window by her bed?"

"Okay okay maybe I should've noticed the open window. I'm gonna go find her okay? You stay here. The last thing we want is for all of us to get kidnapped or something." Ed got out of bed and pulled on his pants and boots. Then he donned his red jacket and went out through the window.

The cold air nipped at his face. _She must be freezing out here. Her jacket's still in the bedroom_.He thought, and set out to find her.

He hadn't walked very far when he her someone crying. He headed in the direction of the noise and was shocked to see it was Rei. She was sitting in Russell's garden, leaning against the statue in the middle. Sobbing.

"Rei?" She looked up.

"Oh, god. I'm fine, okay? Just...go away." She turned her face away, but not before he spotted a tear rolling down her cheek.

"You are not fine, and I don't take orders from YOU, of all people. What's wrong?"

"My parents are DEAD that's what's wrong!" She shouted. Ed blinked.

"Dead? What do you mean dead?"

"I mean DEAD you stupid half-pint! Or should I say they were murdered." She stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait a minute!" Ed grabbed her shoulder and ignored the half-pint comment because this was serious. "What happened? Who killed them?"

Rei stood eerily still for a moment, then twirled around to stare at him with a tear-stained face.

"My uncle killed them." She said.

"Mustang's a murderer?!" Ed shouted, shocked.

"No! my OTHER uncle. On my mom's side. He...He didn't like my dad at all. I mean, at all. He always thought my mom could've done better. To be honest, better in his eyes was him."

"He liked his sister? Gross." Ed made a face. She glared at him and he was serious again. "Sorry. Continue."

"Yes, he had a LARGE sister complex. He was so jealous of my father that he decided if he couldn't have my mom, nobody could. So he killed them both. Chopped them up like Barry the Chopper."

"Ugh, I remember him. Nasty man. Very psycho. Continue." Ed added.

"And...I..." Before she could finish, she broke into another round of tears. "I couldn't stop him! I saw the whole damned thing!" She sobbed and kicked an eerie garden gnome, which hit the statue and shattered. Then another gnome met the same fate, and Ed intervened.

"Hold on a second...!" He grabbed her, spun her around, and forced her into a hug. "Now, before any more of Russell's gnomes shatter, I want you to breathe." He felt Rei take a few shuddering breaths and felt her elax just a bit. "No more destruction, okay?" She nodded. "If you gotta cry, then do so. But the gnomes never did anything to you."

He sat them down, leaning against the statue. Rei was crying silently into his jacket, and relaxing more with every breath until she had fallen asleep. Ed sighed and realized how tired this whole thing had made him, and before he knew it, he was out like a light.

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"Well, now, there's a sight you don't see every day." Ed woke to Russell's voice. He blinked and Russell, Fletcher, and all came into view. "Ed and Rei, asleep together in the garden. Hey, what happened to my gnomes?"

"I've always hated those things, Russell." Fletcher said with a huff. "I say good riddance."

"What's going on?" Ed asked, and tried to stand up. That's when he realized his left arm was both asleep and weighted down. He looked over and saw Rei, sleeping peacefully. Suddenly everything from the night before came back to him. The crying, the murder story, the gnomes...

"Mmmf wha's happ'ning?" Rei mumbled and woke up slowly. She blinked and looked around. Then she noticed she was sleeping on Ed. "Oh!" She jumped away quickly.

"Pins and needles..." Ed wobbled his arm trying to wake it up. "Owie ow ow owww..."

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Alrighty that's all I can do for now, but once again! two in one day! whoooot!


	8. Chapter 8: Magic Flowers

Hooray! next chapter!

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-recap- 

"Well, now, there's a sight you don't see every day." Ed woke to Russell's voice. He blinked and Russell, Fletcher, and all came into view. "Ed and Rei, asleep together in the garden. Hey, what happened to my gnomes?"

"I've always hated those things, Russell." Fletcher said with a huff. "I say good riddance."

"What's going on?" Ed asked, and tried to stand up. That's when he realized his left arm was both asleep and weighted down. He looked over and saw Rei, sleeping peacefully. Suddenly everything from the night before came back to him. The crying, the murder story, the gnomes...

"Mmmf wha's happ'ning?" Rei mumbled and woke up slowly. She blinked and looked around. Then she noticed she was sleeping on Ed. "Oh!" She jumped away quickly.

"Pins and needles..." Ed wobbled his arm trying to wake it up. "Owie ow ow owww..."

-end recap-

"Sorry, Ed. I guess I was too comfortable, so I didn't move." Rei stood up. "G'morning Russell, Fletcher, Al."

"Why were you sleeping in my garden and what happened to my gnomes?" Russell asked.

"Oh, gnomes, right!" Rei turned around and, eithin seconds, she had restored the two gnomes with alchemy. "I had a little tantrum last night, which explains being in the garden. And the gnomes." Rei handed him the two gnomes.

"Can't we just _burn_ them?" Fletcher asked. "They creep me out."

Russell put the gnomes down. "No, we can't burn them. They have emotional signifigance."

"You bought them at a garage sale for a buck." Fletcher said.

"That was a very emotional dollar." Russell countered. "Now. Considering that we've solved the mystery of the missing gnomes, let's go in and eat breakfast."

"A-kchoo!" Everyone looked at Rei.

"What...was that?" Ed asked.

"A-kchoo!"

"I think it was a sneeze." Russell offered. Silence. Then the two of them burst out laughing.

"_That_ was a _sneeze?!_" Ed laughed. "It was so _weird!_"

"Hey, I think she caught a chill." Al suggested. The older boys were too busy laughing to notice.

"Let's get you inside." Fletcher said, taking her hand and leading her inside.

* * *

"Well, she doesn't have a fever." Russell said. "I think it's only a slight cold, probably because she slept outside without her jacket." 

"Aw, man! I can't be sick! we have an assignment!"

"Not anymore." Ed came through the kitchen door. "I called Mustang to report, and he says someone already wrapped up our case. Apparently it was some deranged freak who was expiramenting with body parts of kids." He shuddered. "He wants us on the next train back to central."

"What?! We don't even get to investigate?!"

"The next train back to central is in three days." Russell said. "They're doing some reconstruction on the rotted tracks. Didn't I tell you?"

"I'll call Mustang." Ed huffed and walked back into the kitchen.

"But we came in yesterday and it was fine." Rei pointed out, and sneezed.

"You came in from the other track. The ones leaving in that direction are going to have to wait, but people coming in are fine." Fletcher explained, handing her a tissue.

"...Cupcakes." She said, causing all the boys (including Ed, who had just entered the room.) to stop and stare at her. "I want to make cupcakes."

"Um...alrighty then. I think we have some mix in the cupboard." Russell offered.

"Ah, mix is for losers." Rei said with a slight wave. "I want to make it from scratch. Flour, eggs...you do have that stuff, right?" Russell and Fletcher looked at each other.

"So I'm thinking we gotta go shopping." Ed pointed out.

* * *

"Flour, Eggs, Vanilla, chocolate syrup, ice cream--"

"Rei, I thought we were making cupcakes, not having a birthday party." Russell said, handing one of his grocery bags to Ed.

"Why shouldn't we have a birthday party?" Al asked. "We never properly celebrated Rei's birthday yesterday. Plus, Ed's birthday is in just a few days."

"Snow!" Fletcher shouted. All five of them looked up and, sure enough, it was snowing.

"Birthday snow!" Rei shouted, flinging her arms up to welcome the soft ice flakes. She ran to frolick in the snow and ended up slipping on the icy roads, which made for some crazy slip-n-slide action.

As Russell and Fletcher ran after her, slipped, and fell on their butts, Ed had a rather sad look on his face.

"What's wrong, Brother?" Al asked. "You look so sad."

"When I think of snow...it reminds me of Nina." Al suddenly got a sad shadow as they both remembered the horror that had befallen poor 4-year-old Nina Tucker. Ed sighed and walked down the road to where the others were engaged in a pitiful snowball fight. Al watched as he knelt down by Rei and put his hands on the ground.

"Magic Flowers!" Rei said with a rather immature giggle as Ed put a flower headband on her head.

* * *

Hey thanks for reading! I am thinking of creating a spin-off fanfic for this story. A bunch of one-shots of Ed and Rei-alternaternate meetings, stories, and confession scenes. Boredom reigns free, y'know?


	9. Chapter 9: Cupcakes and Clothes

Hey love you guys! Although if you don't start reviewing more, I am definately not posting another chapter. **No Reviews, No New Chapter!!!** Live by it. Review by it. Let's get going.

* * *

"E-d! That was the last egg!"

"I'm sorry! I'm trying to learn the whole one-handed egg crack thing!" Ed pouted, washing the crumbly, eggy mess off his hands.

"Whatever. You're just lucky I'd already put in the right amount of eggs." Rei said. "And if you're willing to go buy more, I'll teach you how to crack eggs one-handed."

"Ah, baking's for losers anyway." Ed huffed.

"Then why are you helping?"

"I'm not! Hey, Russell! You get along with her, so _you_ come help her cook!" Ed threw the towel at Russell's face.

"Hey, I offered to help in the beginning, which means I'll help now." Russell said, handing his hand of cards to Ed. "Don't cheat."

"Don't cheat!" Ed replied mockingly, and sat down with Al and Fletcher. "Okay, what's the game?"

"We're playing blackjack." Fletcher explained.

"Hey, I'm great at blackjack--" He was interrupted by a shriek from Rei, a couple of crashes, and a large POOFing noise. "What the--" Ed ran into the kitchen, Automail dharpened and ready to fight--only to find there was no fight. Russell and Rei were on the ground, covered with flour head-to-toe, cracking up.

"She threw the flour at me...so I threw some at her..." Russell explained through his laughter.

"Then he slipped and grabbed me--" Rei continued.

"And here we are." They controlled their laughter when they saw Ed was not amused, although Al and Fletcher were trying very hard not to laugh in the doorway.

"And who's gonna clean up this mess?!" Ed asked, crouching down next to them. Russell and Rei looked at each other, then Rei flicked some flour at Ed, hitting him smack in the face.

There was a deadly silence.

Then, a chuckle.

Ed burst out laughing and dove into the flour fight, which continued for another five minutes or so, Fletcher joining and Al filling his arm with flour, which he poured on Ed's head. When the laughter finally died down, Everyone attempted to clean up the flour, and themselves. Rei had one helluva time trying to get it out of her hair!

Russell went back to playing cards, and Ed helped Rei finish up the cupcakes.

"That was so much fun!" Rei giggled, as she washed the mixing bowl.

"Yeah, that was the most fun I've had since I met you." Rei flicked some flour at him. "Hey, don't start." She put her hands up innocently.

"It's too bad we'll have to leave. I really like being here with Russell and Fletcher. It reminds me of my hometown, Rookston. God, I miss that place." Rei said as she put the cupcakes in the oven. She straightened up and smiled at Ed over her shoulder.

"What? What's with that look?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

"You can't go home, either, huh?" Though he was surprised at this comment, Ed knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Yeah. We made sure of it before we left." Rei sighed and took her hair out of the ponytail.

"C'mon, let's join the others." She clicked the start button on the timer and left the room. Ed followed her out.

"Wussup, Guys?" Rei asked. "Who's winning?"

"Right now, Russell." Al reported.

"This game is so boring." Rei said with a manufactured yawn. "Let's play strip poker!"

All the boys looked at her.

"What? I'm wearing layers. I'm confident."

two hours later

"Hell NO I'm not taking my pants off!" Ed shreiked. He was wearing just his pants. He was losing, needless to say.

"Just DO it, Tinkerbell." Russell said. He, too was down to pants.

"You have to, Brother, it's the rules." Al said. Rei had placed costume jewelry, scarves, a few belts and a hat on him so he could play, and he'd been pretty lucky so far.

"I'm cold." Fletcher complained. No shoes, no hat for him. "Can't I put my hat on?"

"Nope. That'd be cheating. C'mon, Ed, I took my shirt off." Rei pointed out.

"Don't remind me." Smack. "OKAY! okay. I'll take my friggen pants off, alright?" Ed stood and walked to the corner, where he shed his pants. He walked back to the game, blushing brightly. Rei giggled.

"Boxers: $20 Automail: Very expensive. Seeing ed in his underwear: Priceless Ahhahahahahaha!!!" Rei rolled around laughing.

"She's got you there Brother."

Rei wiped the tears of laughter from her face. "Okay Ed, let's make a deal. You win the next bet you get everything back. If you _lose_," Rei giggled. "You know. OR you could give up now and save your dignity."

"_Fine_. But if I win, You gotta do a strip tease for Russell."

Silence. A blushing Russell.

"You're on!" Rei stuck her hand out and he shook it.

"Let's do this!"

seconds later

Ed's cracking up. Russell is blushing. Rei is Daring.

'Nuff said.

Fletcher and Al were too polite to watch, so they had turned around.

"There, Ed, You got your dance." Rei slapped her hand on the table. "All or nothing."

"You're on."

* * *

Two in one day HOORAY!!!!


	10. Chapter 10: You give me Nightmares

Yeah...last one was a bit weird. I was at my mom's work...and extremely bored. Thank your lucky stars that** Evil Bunny of Death** reviewed the last one or this wouldn't have been posted. might even send her a thank-you note!

Next!

* * *

"Well, That was eventful." Russell commented.

"C'mon, Rei, gimme back my pants!"

"No way, Ed, I won. We did double or nothing. But since I'm so nice, I'll let you keep your boxers on."

"What children you are." Al said.

"I hardly think many children play strip poker, Al." Ed seethed. "Gimme!"

"No!" Ed tackled Rei to the ground.

"Brother, Please! We all know how this ends!"

"You're talking to a ball of dust." Russell pointed out. "Cupcake?"

"N-no thanks." Al politely refused. The dust ball of a fight immediately stopped dead.

"Did I hear 'cupcake'?" Rei asked. "Cupcake!" She launched herself off of Ed and grabbed the cupcake from Russell. "CUPCAKE!!!" ((glowing light from the heavens shines upon the cupcake))

"Can I have--" Ed's pants whacked him in the face. "--my...um...pants...Thanks." He pulled his pants on and the five of them congregated around the cupcakes. (except Al, who of course can't eat them...)

"I have to say, for all the flour fighting, these cupcakes turned out great." Russell commented. "Rei, I--" He stopped when he saw she was asleep, half-eaten cupcake in hand.

"I guess she tired herself out." Ed chuckled. "I'll put her to bed." Ed picked her up and carried her out of the room. He placed her on his bed because it was closer to the door and she was _heavy_.

"Mmmf...Cupcakes..." Rei murmured and turned over slightly.

"You really are somethin' else, you know that?" Ed whispered. He reached out with his normal arm and brushed her hair out of her face. "What a spontaneous work of art." Then he noticed how peaceful she looked. "And a peaceful one at that."

Suddenly, She grabbed his hand, which was still resting on her face, and pulled him down on top of her. Ed glowed bright red and attempted to get up, but then: "I love you."

He blinked. Had he heard her correctly? He could've sworn she had just said--

"I love you...Daddy..." She mumbled with a slight snore. Ed relaxed. She was dreaming about her dad. Now that little quote wouldn't keep him up all night. As he was relaxing, he noticed that he was still quite on top of her. He attempted to get up again, but her arm snaked around his shoulders and snapped him into...dancing position?!?! "Dance with me...Ed..."She snored again and released him, rolling over on her side.

"She's dreaming about the ball, huh?" Ed thought aloud, standing up. "I guess I leave a lasting impression with everyone." He yawned. "Man, I didn't realize how tired I was. I guess I'll go to bed." With one last glance to make sure she was all right, he walked over and collapsed on the other bed.

* * *

_There they were, in front of the entire military personell...Her and Ed._

_Dancing._

_Every movement was so fluid and graceful...it felt as though the whole dance was one movement._

_Then, the music stopped. The dancing stopped. And a great darkness overcame the ballroom. Ed was all she could see._

_And then the laughter._

_"Muahahahahahahaha...You thought you could hide from me, my little niece? You were wrong. I shall take away everything that is precious to you."_

_Suddenly, the darkness began to swirl around Ed. He reached out to her in fright...She tried to reach him...further and further apart they came...He was gone._

_Suddenly, a white room. White walls, white floors. The only color was that of his blood, like a crimson rain...and his faded gold eyes and hair..._

"**ED!!!!**" Rei sat bolt upright, screaming the name at the top of her lungs. Ed was by the closet, putting on his red overcoat. The sheer intensity of the shriek caused him to topple over like a bowling ball.

"What?! Wha--Rei? What happened?!" Rei tackled him as Russell and Fletcher rushed in in response to the scream. Al was already there (duh).

"The ball...and the laughter...your blood...I'm so glad you're alive!" Ed detached her iron grip from around his neck and looked her in the eye.

"Rei, calm down. It was a nightmare. Breathe. Good, now tell me what you saw." He held her firmly by the shoulders, firm enough to bring her back to reality. She began to explain her dream. She told them everything (except for the 'everything precious to you' part of course).

"What do you think it means, Brother?" Fletcher asked Russell.

"Well, the dream starts with something in the past, so it must be a past experience." Russell said. "If she's seen a murder, it could very well be a new way for the memory to haunt her."

"Are you okay?" Ed asked her.

"I'm fine. Now stop touching me." She wiggled out of Ed's grasp and walked over to the bathroom. "I'm fine, I'm gonna take a shower. Show's over. Please leave."

"Wow, talk about mood swings." Ed muttered. Then, louder: "C'mon Al, Let's go."

"But where are we going?" Al asked.

"Anywhere." He said. "I can't stay cooped up in her forever. We'll be back later." Ed did that over-the-shoulder half-wave and left, Al close behind. Russell and Fletcher decided to make breakfast, so they left too.

Meanwhile, Rei is in the shower, crying.

* * *

Yay the end of another chapter! sorry about the kinda-sorta cliffhanger. I just got braces so i needed to inflict pain on someone.

anywho, I want to enforce this life rule once more:

**NO REVIEWS, NO NEW CHAPTER!!!!!!**

Okay, now that that's out...seeya!


	11. Chapter 11: Minors & Miners

Katty008 saved your buttocks by reviewing! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! (ahem)

Moving on...

* * *

"Russell, Fletcher, Rei, we're back!" Ed called as he entered the house. 

"Hey, Ed, Al. Where's Rei?" Fletcher asked.

"She's not here?" Al asked.

"No, she left about four hours ago. We assumed she went to find you." Russell said, holding up a plate of leftover cupcakes. "Cupcake?"

"No thanks. Where do you think she might have gone?" Ed wondered aloud.

"Beats me. You know her better." Russell shrugged.

"Not by much.'' Ed sighed. "That girl is such a handful. What are we going to do with her?" Another sigh. "I'll go get her. Al, you stay here."

"But, I--"

"No buts, Al. Mustang told me to keep an eye on her. It's my job, not yours. Now, STAY HERE." He turned and exited the house.

_It's getting dark._ He thought. _The sooner I find her, the better._

* * *

"AUGH!! I've been searching for over an hour, and there's still no sign of--Rei?" He had spotted her atop the building next to him. "She's not gonna...Naw, she wouldn't. Would she?... aw $!#!! REI!!" 

He clapped and in seconds he was on the roof by means of an elevator effect. He stepped onto the roof.

"Rei, what are you doing?" She blinked at him.

"Oh, hey, Ed, What's up?"

"Isaid, **What are you doing**?"

Another blink. "Trying to die. Why, what's it look like to you?"

Ed smacked his forehead with his left hand.

"Tell me, what is the color of the sky in your world?" He asked rhetorically.

"Red." She said, matter-of-factly. He smacked his face again.

"_So_ NOT what I meant. I'm gonna ask you once more. What are you doing?"

"I'll play along. I am standing on top of a 30 foot building."

"Okay, whatever." He grabbed her by the waist and got them off the building. (I dunno how. You have imaginations. Mine hurts to much to think of how.)

"You have no idea how lucky I am to have been saved by you, my brave knight of...uhmmmm...Lollipops!" She giggled.

"Okay, I'll bite. What's up with the building...and the...uhm...lollipops comment." He asked her.

"They really shouldn't give beer to minors." She said after a long silence.

"What?! They gave you BEER?!"

"Just a TAD..." She held her fingers a centimeter apart to show how little she believed she had drank. "I'm fine, really. I only had...one...g..."

"Glass?"

"Gallon."

"A GALLON?! WHO THE !$& LETS A MINOR DRINK A GALLON OF BEER?!"

* * *

"I found her." Ed grumbled as he walked through the door. 

"Great! Where was she?" Fletcher asked.

"You want the truth?" They nodded. "On top a 30 foot building" Silence. "About to jump." More silence. "Drunk."

"They gave her BEER?!" Russell asked with sheer shock.

Ed dropped Rei in Russell's lap. "Apparently, a gallon or two. She wouldn't stop talking about lollipops and other sugary things the whole way back."

"Rei? Are you okay?" Russell adjusted her until he believed they were both comfortable.

"You're hot..." She slurred. "LOLLIPOPS!!!"

"Be sure to lay her on her side so she doesn't choke on vomit." Ed added.

* * *

"Rei? Hey, Rei, wake up." Ed's voice penetrated Rei's protective walls of a mind.

"Owww stop yelling. I gots a headache, man." She mumbled.

"Aw, man, I knew it. You have a hangover. Mustang's gonna murder me for letting you drink."

Rei sat up. BIG MISTAKE. Her head swirled around and she noticed they weren't at Russell and Fletcher's house, they were...on a train? "Why are we on a train?" She asked.

"We're going back to Central, duh." He laid down his hand of cards. "Royal flush."

"Man, you won again, Brother! I could've sworn I--Wait, you're Cheating again, Aren't you?"

"What? Central? But I didn't even say goodbye!"

"I am NOT cheating! And, Rei, you did say goodbye, but it was rather slurred and drunkish and sounded more like 'Gobley' "

"He's cheating, Al. The cards are in his collar."

"Ed! You cheater!"

"Hey, thanks for ratting me out, Beer-head!"

"You are so,_ so_ welcome."

* * *

Personally, I like this chapter a lot. Except for the fact that it deleted itself and I had to rewrite it.

P.S. Once again, **NO REVIEWS, NO NEW CHAPTER!!!!!**


	12. Chapter 12: Santa Claus is Drunk!

Thank you, Katty008 and EdwardElricsFan4ever for once again saving the chapter. NEXT!

* * *

"Just make sure you cover up that hangover, okay?" Ed told her firmly as they got ready to get off the train.

"Yeah, yeah, it's almost gone anyways." She said, waving it off. "Drinking is NOT a good way to solve your problems."

"I could've sworn someone should have already taught you that." Ed muttered.

"Not Uncle Roy." She said. "He'll always just be a drunk Santa Claus to me." Ed blinked.

"A what?" Al asked. Rei sighed.

"When I was eight," She began, pulling her suitcase out of the upper compartment. "we had our annual Christmas party. Uncle Roy had the dreaded job of dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out presents. Every year all the kids were excited cuz we really thought it was Santa."

"What happened?" Ed asked as they waited in the traffic jam to get off the train.

"He was drunk. Need I say more? He told all the kids that Santa wasn't real. That pretty much ruined my childhood." She said as they stepped off the train.

"Fullmetal. Sparky." They looked up and saw Mustang standing there, along with Hawkeye, Havoc, and Breda. He saluted, and they saluted back.

"Hello, Sir." Rei said politely.

"Hello, Mustang." Ed copied the move.

"We've come to escort you back." Hawkeye said. "Scar is still at large. While you were gone, He's killed 3 more alchemists."

"He's a busy boy. We were only gone for three days." Ed commented.

"I don't think I need an escort, Sir." Rei injected firmly. "I am fully capable of taking care of myself."

"You will come with the escort with no complaints whatsoever, young lady." Mustang said in a demanding tone.

"You aren't my father." She turned around, arms crossed.

"But I am your boss." She sighed. How sadly true that was.

"Yes, sir. I will come with the escort." She mumbled.

"Good. Breda, Havoc. Take them to the car. We will benot be far behind." Mustang said, gesturing to the three of them. Breda and Havoc saluted and took them away. Roy sighed rubbed his forehead.

"Is there something wrong, Sir?" Hawkeye asked as they began to walk after them.

"No. Yes. I hate it when she is so formal with me. Of course, she does have proper reason to hate me. If only I hadn't been so drunk..."

"Sir?"

"Nevermind. That's a story for another time."

* * *

"Alright, Mustang, we have no assignments, right?" Ed asked.

Mustang pretended to go through some of the papers on his desk. "Nope. None."

"Then I can...?"

"Yes, Fullmetal. You may go search for the stone now."

"Sir!" Ed saluted. "I'll see you when I get back from my next lead, Rei."

"Why in the world would you do that?" Mustang asked. "She's coming with you, of course."

"Whaaaat?!" Ed's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "I've been baby-sitting her all week! She stole my pants for christ's sake!" Mustang raised an eyebrow. "Long story, look I can't take her with me! It's so dangerous! I almost always get nearly killed!"

"Then maybe you need her to protect you." Mustang said, doodling on on of the papers. Ed opened his mouths to protest again. "DISCUSSION TERMINATED, Fullmetal. You will take her with you and that's final!"

"Augh, fine! Rei, you can help me look for leads. I'll be in the library." Ed stormed out in a huff.

"Uncle Roy, why are you teasing him so? We all know you know where it is..." Rei began.

"Yes, Rei. And so do you, but you also know exactly why we can't give it to him." Mustang said, scribbling his signature on a paper. Rei sighed.

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

"Ed? Are you in here?" Rei asked, entering the library.

"I'm back here!" Ed's voice called to her left. She wound her way through the books and found him near the back, totally absorbed in a book.

"So, these are all books on the Philosopher's Stone?" She asked, running her hand along the shelves.

"Yep. So far, they've been pretty useless, though." Ed replied. "Our biggest lead was a fake."

"Where's Al?" Rei asked.

"I think he forced himself to get me some food. When I read, I tend to forget to eat." His stomach growled as proof.

Rei picked out a book and sat down next to him. "Um...not all these books are about the stone." She said (with anime sweatdrop) as she opened it. "This is some story about evil Penguins taking over some city."

"Let me see." Ed took the book, flipped through the pages, and pointed to the page. "It's a child's story about penguins who find the stone and gain lots of power. Must be really old. How odd." Ed sat it next to him. As he did, Rei noticed something.

She grabbed his automail arm and pushed up his sleeve.

"Hey--what the---Rei!"

"What'd you do to your Automail?" She asked, exasperated. There were a few screws missing, plus the plating was torn off, revealing all the wires.

"N-nothing!" He pulled it back. "I got in a fight last week and I've been too busy to visit my mechanic!"

"Well, You aren't busy now! C'mon, you can't just leave it like that! Let's go get you fixed up."

"But she'll _kill_ me!"

"Great. Makes my job easier." She pushed him out the door.

* * *

And to Winry we go!

Once again, **NO REVIEWS, NO NEW CHAPTER**!!!


	13. Chapter 13: Graverobbers

Sup peeps?

* * *

"I feel awful giving Winry so much work." Ed protested on their doorstep.

"Ed, we haven't visited them in three months! They'll be so happy to see us!" Al reasoned.

"I would certainly like to meet them." Rei said, and knocked on the door. "They seem nice from what I've heard." The door opened and Pinako stood in the doorway. She blinked.

"So my eyes deceive me? Is this Ed and Al? I haven't seen you boys in three months!"

"Hey, Granny. My partner here forced me to come and get my arm fixed."

"ED!" A big, blonde blur tackled Ed to the ground. "Ed, is it really you? Gosh, I haven't seen you guys in so long! Oh! Who's this?" Winry got up off of Ed and faced Rei.

"I'm Rei. I'm Ed's partner. We go on military missions and stuff together." Rei shook Winry's hand.

"Wow, it's so good to meet you! So you're Rei, huh? Ed wrote about you in his most recent letter." Winry turned to Ed. "She doesn't seem like a psycho bi-polar maniac."

"You called me what, Ed?" Rei was behind him with a knife to his back. (evil anime eye twinkle)

"Pie! Yummy yummy pie!" Ed covered. Rei put the knife away.

"Aw, thanks, Cupcake! Now, let's get that arm fixed. Can you believe he let this happen to it?" Rei asked, showing Winry the arm.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH ED THAT WAS MY MASTERPIECE HOW COULD YOU?!?!"

* * *

"Thanks a lot, Rei, now I can't hear. If my arm and leg weren't being repaired right now, I'd wallop you." Ed hissed.

"Ah, big words for a tiny guy. Besides, you're wearing a prosthetic. You could do that anyway."

"Ed, we should really visit Mom's grave." Al pointed out. Ed blinked.

"You know what, Al? I think that's a great idea. Last time we came you were broken and didn't get to see her." Ed stood up. "Let's go. Right now."

"Can...Can I come?" Rei asked.

"Do you gotta follow me everywhere?" Ed asked.

"Sorry..." She looked at her hands. "I just wanted to meet your mom. Her grave must be very well taken care of, considering so many people cared about her."

Al whacked Ed's left shoulder. "Ow, what--oh. Fine. You can come if you really want to. But first we gotta get flowers."

"Um...Granny Pinako said earlier when you were talking to Winry that she had a nice garden out back." Al said. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we picked some of those."

* * *

"Hey, Mom. It's me, Ed. And this time, Al's here too. We really miss you, Mom. A lot." Ed sighed and placed the flowers he'd picked on her grave. "Oh, and this is my friend Rei. She really wanted to meet you."

Rei waved at the grave and walked off to see the rest of the graveyard. Ed and Al continued to tell their mom what they've been up to for the past three months, but a high-pitched shriek from Rei stopped them dead. (pardon the pun)

"Ah...ah...it's...him..." She pointed a shaky finger at the grave in front of her. Ed and Al came over next to her.

Ed put a hand on her shoulder to steady her shaking. He read the tomb stone.

_Robert B. Terrance_

"Who's that?" Ed asked. Rei mumbled something he couldn't quite hear. "What?"

"My uncle..." She said, just loud enough for him to hear. Ed remembered her little horror story (see Murder & Gnomes Ch. 8 I think).

"You mean..." She nodded. Then she began to shake. "Al, We have to get her out of here!" Al nodded and picked her up just as she began to yell at the grave.

"Murderer! How could you die unless I killed you, you...you MONSTER!" She kicked and screamed the whole time Al was carrying her back to the house. She pushed away from him and ran inside, up to Winry's room, which she was temporarily sharing with her until they left. She quickly started packing, shocking Winry, who was sitting and working on Ed's arm.

"Rei, What're--" She began as Ed rushed into the room.

"I'm LEAVING! I'm going back to central and throwing myself off the highest building they got!" She yelled, still furiously packing.

"Rei!" Ed ran over to her as fast as he could go on the prosthetic leg. He wrapped his only arm around her waist and pulled her back. "What are you doing?!"

"I just SAID you dolt! I'm going back to central and throwing myself of the highest building they have! Don't you LISTEN?!" She shrieked and tried to pull away from him. "LET...ME...GO!"

Ed just hung on tighter and tripped them both. He was kneeling, his one hand on her shoulder, holding her down. "Calm down! I know what you saw was shocking, and I know it ruins every revenge story in your head, but CALM DOWN!"

"Ed, What HAPPENED?!" Winry asked, exasperated. "Why's she freaking out?!"

"She saw her uncle's grave at the graveyard." He explained. He leaned down and touched his forehead to Rei's. She stopped squirming due to injury possibility, but still looked ready to run. "Listen, we've been through the calm down technique one too many times. Breathe."

He let go of her and sat up. She relaxed noticably. She stopped flailing. She stopped screaming. She stopped moving. She was breathing deeply, looking up out the window at the snow falling. Ed helped her up and onto the rollaway bed, where she automatically pulled the covers over her head.

"Why'd she freak out because of a grave?" Winry asked.

"The uncle that was in that grave...he killed her parents. Right in front of her." Winry gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth. "She wanted revenge. But Justice killed him first."

* * *

Yes yes I know this one was very odd. I'm running out of ideas and this worked.

**NO REVIEWS, NO NEW CHAPTER**

c'mon, people! how many times must I say it?


	14. Chapter 14: Frostbite

Once again, the brave EdwardElricsFan4ever has saved the chapter with a review! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...Ha...ha...uhm...moving on.

* * *

"Finished!" Winry exclaimed. "It took me three days but I replaced the plating and the missing screws!" She looked out the window where Al and Rei were building a snowman. Ed, who's leg was already on, was just watching. She quickly put on her snow clothes and went out side to give Ed his arm

"Al, the nose is too low!"

"Oops, I guess you're right. That's where the mouth should be, huh?"

"Hey, Ed, I finished your arm." Winry said, waving the automail.

"Hey, that's great! Thanks, Winry, you're the best." He took it and attached it himself. "AUGH!...Man I hate that." WHACK! Rei beaned him in the back of the head with a snowball.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! That was GREAT! Perfect timiiingAh!" She ducked as Ed launched one back at her. "You wanna go, Shorty?!"

"Hey, I'M NOT SHORT DAMNIT!!!" Rei hit him smack in the face with another snowball."You ain't to tall yourself, Tinkerbell!" He shrieked.

"Tink-Why you--Take THAT!" Rei threw another one at him, and Winry decided to retreat inside, lest she get frostbite. Within seconds there was a full-out snowball war going on.

"You throw like a girl!" Ed shouted as he lauched his alchemy-made catapult.

"I AM a girl! But what's your excuse?"

"Wimp!"

"Chibi!"

"Weakling!"

"Brother, she really does bring the child out in you, you know that?"

* * *

"A-choo!" Ed sneezed. "This is your f-fault. If you hadn't s-started the fight I wouldn't be s-so c-c-cold."

"Hey, I only s-started it. You made a f-fricken c-catapult." Rei chattered.

"Well, you guys _were_ out there for three hours." Winry pointed out. "It's your fault."

"B-body heat...losing b-body heat." Ed sneezed again.

"You're t-telling m-me."

"You kids are lucky you don't have frostbite, for christ's sake." Pinako whacked Ed with a wooden spoon. "Soup's done. Come eat and warm up."

After a few bowls (five or six) of Pinako's soup, both their body temperatures were normal again.

"Thanks, Granny. You know the answer to everything." Ed sipped the last of his soup.

"So do you. Soup."

"Can I maybe get the recipe? I enjoy cooking, so it might be fun to make every now and then." Rei smiled.

"Ah, a girl who knows the value of cooking. Winry won't even go NEAR an oven. Says cooking is a waste of time." Pinako laughed. "I guess it's good you have a passion, Winry. I think it's even better that it's Automail."

"Grandmaaaaa..."

"Ugh. I am _so_ gonna catch a cold." Rei sneezed. "There we go."

* * *

"Ed...Ed...Ed, wake up!" Ed was awoken abruptly by Rei shaking him.

"Woah...what's wrong, Rei? Why aren't you asleep?" When his eyes adjusted, he saw the look of worry on her face.

"They got Winry!" She said. "They came in our room and took her away!"

"Whaaaat?! Winry got kidnapped?" Rei nodded.

"I've already told Al and Pinako. The police are on the way."

"Ah, what do they know." Ed swung out of bed and began to get dressed. Rei politely looked away. "We gotta go after her!" Rei blinked.

"We?"

"Yeah, aren't you coming?" She flung her arms around him.

"Ed, that's the first time you've actually treated me like a partner!" She let go of him. "Now, They left a ransom note, but Pinako has it. I know where the rondevouz is...but..." She looked down.

"What? Where is it?"

"The graveyard." Rei said. "I can't go...I'll freak out again."

"You have to come! You are Roy Mustang's neice! You are a State Alchemist. I'm gonna need all the help I can get, since I'm so out of practice with my arm."

"You...you really need my help?" He stopped in the doorway and nodded. "A-all right. I'll come."

_Her personality changes direction faster than a car._ He thought.

* * *

Yeah, Rei is extremely bi-polar and all, but who cares? She's awesome that way!

Oh, and plus I couldn't resist having Winry kidnapped. I'm not her biggest fan.

**NO REVIEWS, NO NEW CHAPTER!!!!**

just making that clear...again.


	15. Chapter 15: Blood and Love

I got lots of great reviews (and a few pointers!) for that last chapter. To please you all I will try to make this chapter longer. Sometimes a length gets stuck in my head and I just need someone to tell me to change (thanks, guys!) WARNING: Crappy fight scene. you have been warned. (I'm horrible at writing fight scenes.)

* * *

"Ed, it's freezing out! You need proper winter wear!" Rei complained as Ed ran towards the door wearing his usual outfit. 

"If I'm gonna have to fight, all that fabric will restrict me. Besides, two of my limbs don't even get cold."

"But the rest of you _does._" She pointed out, throwing a knit sweater at him. "at least put this on."

"Whatever!" he threw it on under his jacket and they rushed out the door and past the police who were arriving. Ed was running as fast as he could, making it hard for Rei to keep up. Once they reached the graveyard, Ed stopped short, causing Rei to smack into him and have both of them topple over.

"Ed! Rei!" Winry yelled. "Stay back!"

((Oooh, how cliche was that?))

Rei sat up and pushed her black bangs out of her face. Her sapphire eyes were a bit unfocsed for a moment, but then she saw it. There were three men. Three BIG men. With guns and knives. And Ed was on his feet, poised with his sharpened automail.

"Let Winry go, you big lugs!" He growled.

"Oh, look, Ronnie. It's a little kid. How old are you really? 12? 13?" One of the big men teased.

"I'm 16 you fathead. Look at you! You're full of cholesterol!" Ed spat back. Rei giggled (she was standing by now.)

"Hey, come off it, Runt. You're no match for us." The guy called Ronnie interjected.

"Runt? RUNT?! WHO'RE YOU CALLING AN ANT SO SMALL HE CAN'T EVEN BE SEEN WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS, YOU BASTARD!!!" Ed lunged forward and clonged the guy on the head with his automail arm. The guy was out like a light. Then Ed turned to fight the other guy, who was brown-haired and kind of looked like a caveman.

"Wait. One...two..." Rei counted in a whisper. "Where's the third guy?" A large something blocked the moon from behind her and cast a shadow over her.

"Well, what do we have here?" a raspy voice said in a british accent. Rei twirled around and found herself face-to-chest with a tall, rugged man with blond hair. "We got ourselves a stray."

He flipped out his gun. Rei freaked and transuted it into a horn just as he pulled the trigger. It made a weak BRRRRRR sound and the man tossed it aside. He advanced and Rei toppled to the ground. She did the crab walk back wards to get away from him, then kicked him square in the chest.

Meanwhile, Ed had knocked out the second guy and was untying Winry.

"Ed, you could have been killed! Why couldn't you let the police handle it?" She hissed at him. She shook her blonde head. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Winry, you're my best friend. I'd never go quietly when you've been kidnapped. Remember Barry the Chopper?" They both shuddered. "Now, go home and-"

"**Aaaaahhhhh**!" They both turned at Rei's shriek. Ed pushed Winry out of the graveyard and told her to go home. She reluctantly obeyed. Ed rushed over to where Rei was lying motionless, the thug holding a bloody knife poised to kill. He clapped, which caught the thug's attention, and transmuted a club from a nearby bush. He put on his psychoist face and swung as hard as he could, hitting the guy smack in the chest, sending him flying backward, where he hit his head on a grave and lost consciousness.

Then Ed turned to the still form of Mustang's niece. He hoped to the heavens that she was totally unharmed. He turned her over so he could see her face.

The snow by her side was red. There was a gash in her side, bleeding freely. Ed panicked and covered the wound, trying to stop the flow.

"Rei? Rei, are you still with me? Don't give up, you hear? You'll be fine." He said desperately.

"Ed..." was all she could manage to get out before the world went dark.

* * *

At first, all she could see were colors, then shapes, then finally, her eyes were open and she was looking at the whitest room she had seen in her entire life.

"Wha..." She tried to put her hand up, but it was weighted down by something. She blinked and looked over. Ed was sitting in a chair next to the bed, his head on the mattress, alseep. He was holding her hand and looked more peaceful than she'd ever seen him.

"First time he's slept in the five days you've been out." She looked at her uncle, standing in the doorway.

"I was out for five days?" She asked, bewildered.

"Yep, you'd lost a lot of blood when Ed got you back to the house." Mustang said. He kissed her forehead lightly and sat down in a chair near the bed. "When I got the call I nearly fainted. I'm glad you're okay."

"Where am I?" She asked, again turning to the white room.

"Central hospital. You were transferred here from the Rockbell's house three days ago."

"What's wrong with me?" She inquired.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Rei. You just got hurt in the side and lost some blood. You should be back on your feet in a week or so."

"And Ed...?"

"Hasn't left your side the entire time. He even rode in the ambulance." Mustang stood up and walked toward the door. "I'm only on break. Even though you are here, my duties at the office can't be ignored. Feel better." He saluted and exited the room.

"Mmmm..."Ed mumbled something and squeezed her hand momentarily. She gave him a squeeze back. He opened his eyes and blinked slowly. He sat up in his chair and smiled. "You're awake!"

"I'm awake!" He let go of her hand and saluted.

"I'm really glad you're okay. To be honest, not a lot of people thought you'd make it." He stood up and stretched. "Me, Al, Roy, Hawkeye, Winry and Pinako were the only ones who believed."

"I'm glad you did. Else I probably wouldn't have woken up." She yawned and tried to fight it, but soon her head was on the pillow and she was sleeping peacefully.

"Please wake up again." Ed whispered.

* * *

"Well, Al, I think this case is just about wrapped up." Ed smirked as he threw the last bad guy into the pile. "Now we can get back to Central and see how Rei's doing."

After Rei had woken for the first time, Ed was sent on a mission to a town called Catalpa. He was eager to see how Rei was after being away for a week with no news whatsoever.

"Remember, Brother, don't expect her to be in perfect health or anything. A week isn't going to heal her completely." Al reasoned.

"I know, I know. I'm gonna call Mustang and tell him we're on our way, okay?" Ed walked over to the train station, exchanging good tidings with the people of the town who were thanking him for finding the crooks, who were currently being loaded into the police van.

"Don't get your hopes too high..." Ed payed for their tickets and went over to the phone. He dialed the number and waited patiently for an answer.

"First Liutenant Hawkeye! This is Edward. Yeah, we're done here. We're going to board the next train out of here. ...yes...uh-huh...wha-what do you mean, critical condition?!" Al turned to listen to the conversation. "She should be getting better! ...yes Ma'am...Yes...I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Al asked.

"Rei's doing really bad. The bleeding won't stop, and the doctors don't know what to do." Ed turned to Al. "We need to get there as soon as possible."

"I told you..." Al said as they boarded the train.

* * *

"Rei, why are you doing so badly?" Roy Mustang asked no one in particular.

"I'm sure she will be fine, Sir." Hawkeye reassured him, but she still looked really worried.

"We're all worried, Sir." One of the doctors said. "Her pulse just keeps slowing down and speeding up, and she's been having nightmares lately."

"Dear God. Someone kill me." Roy said, his face in his hands. "I've only had custody of her for two and a half weeks and she's already fatally wounded."

Hawkeye put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry so much, Sir. Edward is on his way. Maybe she'll get better when he's here."

"And how does that work?"

"It's a girl thing, Sir."

* * *

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA CLIFFHANGER!!!!!

Will she live? Will she die? Will the next chapter show the end of the story cause of the death of the main character?!

WHO KNOWS.

besides me. **No Reviews, No new chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16: True Confessions

um... nothing to put here really...

* * *

Ed ran down the hall of the hospital, much to the distaste of the doctors there and skidded to a stop in front of Rei's room. Mustang, Hawkeye, and one of the doctors were standing there and stared at him as he burst into the room. Al sighed and walked calmly down the halls, though he was just about as nervous as Ed was about Rei's condition. 

"How is she?" Ed asked the doctors in the room.

"Just fell asleep. Hopefully she'll be out for a while. For the past few weeks, she's been in and out of sleep." One of them explained.

"And her condition?" Al asked.

"Still bleeding, I'm afraid." The other doctor sighed. "We might have to give up on her."

Ed grabbed the doctor's shirt and slammed him against the wall. "You can NOT give up on her! She is Roy Mustang's niece! He wouldn't be the happiest State Alchemist around if she died. And neither would I." Ed released him.

"Ed..." Al trailed off. There were tears in his brother's eyes. Actual tears. He hadn't seen him cry since the incident with Barry the Chopper.

"Could all of you...you, too, Al...please leave us alone for a minute?" They didn't have to be told twice. The two doctors and Al exited the room quietly, shutting the door behind them.

Ed sat in the chair by the bed again, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I'm a mess, aren't I?"

No response, just a hand twitch.

"I know you can't speak, and you probably can't listen, either, but I'm gonna talk anyway, okay?" Ed sniffed and wiped another tear away. "I have to admit I didn't like you much when we met. You were obnoxious, rude, and you were Mustang's niece! But you were also beautiful. I wouldn't let myself think about you too hard. But then..."

He sighed and walked over to the window.

"But then when you had that bad dream about me, and you nearly broke my spine with a hug, I had a fluttering feeling that I can't exactly explain. I still didn't think too hard about it, just passed it off...Strip poker, now that was fun. You come up with the oddest things, you know that?"

"Mmmm..." She lolled her head to one side. Ed didn't hear that or he would have stopped.

"Whenever I'm with you, I feel so much closer to what I want. But, What do I want, Really? Sure, I want the stone, but...That can't be my whole life, can it?" He walked back over and sat on the edge of the bed. "When the snow turned red by you, I panicked. I also realized two things. One: Never forget the third guy. And two...I love you, Rei. That will never change, no matter how far apart we are." He kissed her on the forehead and sighed. "Please don't die. I only just realized this. You can't leave me now."

There was a knock on the door and a nurse came in with some bandages. "I have to change her bandages now, young man. You should probably leave if you don't want to see."

"Alright." Ed got up and, with one last look at Rei, exited the room. He hadn't gone five steps when the door opened again.

Rei pushed through the door, one hand on her wounded side. Her eyes were on the ground at first, but she looked up to where Ed was frozen in his tracks.

"Ed..." She walked over to him slowly. "Ed...was what you said...true?"

Ed blinked. "Y-yes. Every word! I thought you couldn't hear me!"

"I...I love you, too, Ed." She said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"You...you do?" She didn't answer,just pressed against him. He wrapped his arms around her and they kissed. It was...ah, no describing it, really.

"Fullmetal, you do remember who's _niece_ you are kissing?" Mustang asked. Ed pulled away, blushing brightly. He saluted Mustang.

"Permission to kiss your niece, Sir." Mustang laughed.

"Carry on." They did.

"Well, Sir, this seems a happy ending for all of us." Hawkeye said.

"Hmmm...not quite all of us..." Mustang wrapped his arms around her, tipped her back, and planted one on her.

"S-sir!" Hawkeye stuttered. "Code 396 section--"

"Hawkeye, for a moment, forget the rules, and do what your heart says." Mustang raised his eyebrows and kissed her again, and this time, it was mutual.

**THE END**

* * *

Holy friggen' CRAP it's over! 

But never fear, I shall create a **sequel**!

I am definately not done with them yet. (evil grin)

Rviews are definately welcome. I quite like the way I ended it, don't you?

originally I had her heal miraculusly (I can't spell today...) but I changed it to make it more believable.


	17. Author's Note

Dearest Fans,

I am happy to announce that the sequel to this story is up and running!

Please check out **Confused**, the sequel to this story!

Here's a summary:

Ed returns after mysteriouly disspearing for two years. Him and Al have their normal bodies back and all Ed wants is Rei! How will he react when he finds she has a boyfriend?

Yeah, that's the summary. Check it out, 'kay?

Love to you all,

Ryuu Katai


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